Artistic Wire vs Parawire - Apples to apples comparison
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Original Post
I am trying do an apples to apples comparison of two brands of craft wire - Parawire and Artistic Wire. I personally have used Artistic Wire - but not Parawire yet.
After talking with the Parawire rep at the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee, reading posts here and comparing prices I am ready to try Parawire. I would love to hear what others who have used these wire brands think.
First, let's compare prices. I just picked a few random colors/gauges of the silver plated wire to compare and did the math - these prices are based on the manufacturer websites - not a distributor. And please note each company sells different size spools, which is why I priced it by the foot. Obviously Parawire is cheaper - but is it as good?
Parawire Artistic
Color Gauge Price per FOOT
Gold 26 $ .04 $ .11
Silver 20 $ .14 $ .27
Fuschia 24 $ .06 $ .16
If nothing else, I hope this comparison will help someone looking to watch their pennies (as I am) in this economy - without sacrificing quality.
*Please note this is not a discussion of the virtues of craft wire versus ss or gf wire! This is just to compare craft wire brands - specifically Parawire vs Artistic Wire.
Posted at 12:16pm Jun 10, 2009 EDT
Responses
Oh darn it! The spacing I did on that post got all messed up!
Prices should read Parawire - Gold $.04, Silver $ .14, Fuchsia $ .06
Artistic Wire - Gold $ .11, Silver $ .27, Fuchsia $ .16
Posted at 12:18pm Jun 10, 2009 EDT
Wow, nobody has an opinion about these wire brands at all?
Posted at 5:57pm Jun 10, 2009 EDT
I would be interested in this comparison also. I use lots of Artistic Wire and love it. I am not familiar with Parawire but would love to hear others' opinions
Thanks DesignsbyMandie!
Posted at 6:01pm Jun 10, 2009 EDT
I am going to order some Parawire for a specific project. At the very least I will post how it handled/turned out for me. Obviously I won't be able to speak to the longevity of it yet.
I was hoping someone who has used Parawire could weigh in on it.
Posted at 7:44pm Jun 10, 2009 EDT
I always use artistic wire. And I'm not going to replace with other brand even for cheaper price. I try other famous brand before for less money, but the quality is so bad. I have to protect my product quality. If I my self not satisfied, I'm not going to sell it to other...
So far, Artistic wire is the best for me.
Posted at 7:50pm Jun 10, 2009 EDT
Was the other brand you tried Parawire or something else? Just wondering. I bought some Bead Smith wire and that was awful stuff - got dull/tarnished really fast and wasn't as malleable to work with as the Artistic Wire I've used.
Posted at 7:56pm Jun 10, 2009 EDT
Just a little update. I received the wire I ordered from Parawire today.
I have not worked with it yet (I'll post again after I do)
But what I noticed right away was the variation of color in the gold wire I ordered. I ordered 3 different gauges and they are each a different tone of gold.
I understand about dye lot variation, but this is pretty extreme. When I look at the Artistic Wire I bought in gold (2 different gauges) it looks like a nicer gold finish to me than the Parawire.
I am trying to reserve judgment until I have made something and see how it turns out.
Posted at 12:04am Jun 17, 2009 EDT
Well, sorry Parawire people but I am going to be sticking with Artistic Wire for my craft wire needs. Not only is the polish on the Parawire substandard, it has been much harder to work with. It came off the coil already looking a bit bent, but I was afraid to straighten it because it was already so stiff. I would say it is stiffer than HH sterling wire I have! Which makes it very hard to wrap. And since I have to be so much more careful not to mar the surface, it just isn't working for my needs.
I am already considering de-stashing it, which annoys me since I don't have money to lose on supplies right now, but if I can't use it I might as well.
I would love for anyone else to chime in if they LIKE Parawire. Maybe I just got a bad batch...
Posted at 12:10am Jun 29, 2009 EDT
One other note (if anyone cares) I am contacting Parawire via email to see if they would like to replace the product I bought for another try. I will let you know how my contact with them goes. In my opinion customer service is just as important as good product (as we sellers very well know!)
Posted at 12:27am Jun 29, 2009 EDT